No. 15 Iowa State has three of the Big 12’s best players in guard DeAndre Kane and forwards Melvin Ejim and Georges Niang. That trio combines to average 52.0 points and 19.7 rebounds per game, and when they’re clicking the Cyclones are a difficult team to beat. But Fred Hoiberg’s team isn’t particularly deep and that was an issue in their 80-73 loss in Manhattan.

Kansas State’s reserves scored 38 points on the night, with Shane Southwell scoring 13 points and D.J. Johnson 12. Johnson, who also grabbed six rebounds, made all five of his shots from the field and was another valuable front court option alongside Thomas Gipson (12 points, eight rebounds).

Iowa State received just two points from its bench, with this becoming a bigger issue than usual due to the offensive struggles experienced by both Niang and Dustin Hogue. Niang wasn’t able to establish himself against the Kansas State front court, scoring eight points on 3-for-14 shooting and grabbing just two rebounds. And even though Hogue (12 rebounds) isn’t asked to score at the rate of Iowa State’s three best scorers he’s still averaging 10.8 points per game on the season, meaning that he’s clearly capable of more than the two points he tallied in Manhattan.

Ejim (30 points, 16 rebounds) and Kane (24, eight rebounds and six assists) did much of the heavy lifting for Iowa State, and this was the first subpar performance put forth by Niang after enjoying a run of 13 straight games in double figures. Saturday’s result was more about Bruce Weber’s team working together to add another quality home win to its resume.

The Wildcats don’t have a bonafide star, although freshman Marcus Foster could eventually reach that point. Against Iowa State five players scored in double figures and they also defended, limiting the Cyclones to 35% shooting from the field and 7-for-27 from beyond the arc. Kansas State’s a tournament team, but their lack of success away from Manhattan made Saturday’s contest important when it comes to their seeding.

Kansas State has one more road game remaining as they visit Oklahoma State on Monday night. And if they can put forth the same effort displayed on Saturday, the Wildcats can add a decent road/neutral result to its resume before the Big 12 tournament.